If it makes you feel better, the limit for a commercial driver is 0.02. The slightest trace will put the driver "out of service" for 24 hours. Those who have a CDL (commercial driver license) have to be very watchful even when not driving commercially. When driving non-commercially the 0.08 limit is supposed to apply, not the 0.02. But I am told a CDL holder can be confident of needing an attorney if tested at, say, 0.06 in the car off the job.

Interesting about the CDL limit of .02.

Just an example of how the limit is extreme.

For commercial flying, the limit is two fold:  At least 8 hours since the last consumption of any alcohol, and a max of .04.  To me, that's reasonable.  Having done it for years, landing a jet at night in the rain is a little more demanding than driving.

we have .05 in Bosnia. Croatia has ZERO. That's 0.0!!! And they are a Mediterranean, Adriatic, very tourist country... Imagine that. You come to the adriatic coast and you can't have a single drink...
To me, tightening the boundaries is not smart. Make punishment radical, but loosen the legal limit. My city just passed a 50km/h speed limit law (used to be 60) to stop speeders. Know what? That is not going to stop them. It will slow ME down, all right, but it will not stop violators, since they never cared anyways!!
What is MADD anyways???

Jerry Eichenberger wrote on 06/24/10 at 05:49:53:

OK, I'll support this (even though my Son, not some 3rd cousin's friend) was hit by a drunk driver who at least had the decency to die in the accident he caused.

But only if you will support that when they do catch someone over the new limit, they put his A$$ in jail for a LOOOONNNGGG stretch, not one of these "Go to jail on week-ends" deals.

Since we have now raised the limit, we know it wasn't just 1 beer, and they should have known the consequences.

I'm with Tanker 100%. Loosen up, control often, and if I still break the law - punish hard! All these "preventive" restrictions don't do too much.

Mothers Against Drunk Drivers, huh? Interesting. I'm all for AGAINST drunk drivers, but .05 is (IMHO) not "drunk". Just as 50km/h is not "speed" for cars nowadays.

Here is another tid bit of info.  If you get a speeding ticket and argue it in court, inquire or have your attorney inquire if the officer calibrated their radar prior to shift.  Dont know if it works in other states but I learned that when I was a police officer myself.

License suspensions do work for most people.  Agree they don't work for all - some people have never bothered to ever have any license at all.

My buddy who got nailed received Ohio's mandatory 6 month suspension, and after 15 days of "hard time", got the standard work privileges - to and from work 5 days a week, home off the road totally by 6:30 PM, 1/2 a day on Sat., no driving on Sunday at all.  I had to go get him if we wanted to have dinner together, which we did a couple of  times.  Again, this is the first ticket of any kind this 48 year old business owner had ever had - treating him like a child molester with his otherwise perfect driving record for over 30 years was ludicrous.  And, he is a single guy - no driving at all on Sunday was about as stupid as it gets.  And, of course, his violation was on a country road 200 yards fromhis home, no accident, just a cop from a sheriff's dept. that has a real reputation to begin with.

All depends on who the violator is - business person, steadily employed person - they work.

Bum, illegal immigrant, or the like - they don't work.

You can't over characterize a penalty as never, or always, working for everyone.

And, one more thing - a person with a single DUI cannot enter Canada for 5 years after the completion of sentence and probation if imposed by the court.  Period, can't go there.  After 5 years, the person can ask Canadian authorities for permission, but it may not be granted.  After 10 years, Canada assumes that the person is rehabilitated.  How stupid is that for a one time offender?

My buddy has a boat on the Ohio side of Lake Erie - now for 5 years he can't dock at any Canadian port.

Jerry Eichenberger wrote on 06/24/10 at 14:10:53:


Must be tragic to only have half of one of he Great Lakes to use.  Does he Boat "not really impaired too"

And since we are looking at the confrontation with the LEO happening "only 200 yards from his driveway";  did he just materialize there?  Or was he driving from wherever he had had the alcohol for some distance.  Potentially putting anyone he passed at risk.  

I am a big believer in personal freedom, but when your freedom choices put me or my family at risk, I draw a line.  If your friend wants to drink until he is over WHATEVER the limit is,  he needs to find an alternate means of transport.